Youth League says Ramaphosa has ‘double standards’ for supporting Gordhan

25 October 2016 - 14:06 By Neo Goba
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The African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) has lashed out at Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and described him as a person with double standards.

Speaking to TMG Digital telephonically‚ ANCYL secretary-general Njabulo Nzuza criticised Ramaphosa and other members of the ruling party for causing a fracas and portraying a government that is at war with itself.

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“On the issue of Ramaphosa‚ you have a leader of the state institution called National Treasury and you also have a state institution called the National Director of Public Prosecutions. Both these state institutions require support through the deputy president‚ but he decides to support (Finance Minister) Pravin Gordhan and does not support another institution‚ which is the NPA‚" said Nzuza.

“To us‚ that is double standards. There are a number of leaders of the organisation who have been charged before and have appeared in court and cleared their names in court… such as the rape case of the president‚ who went to court and was found not guilty‚” he said.

Nzuza's remarks come after Ramaphosa publicly offered his moral and political support to the finance minister in view of the fraud charges he faces. They also come as Gordhan prepares to deliver the medium-term budget policy statement in Parlimiamet on Wednesday.

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In a statement three weeks ago‚ Ramaphosa said he had known Gordhan for many years during the struggle‚ and he was an impeccable man. The deputy president said he did not doubt Gordhan's integrity‚ adding that state institutions must not be used to persecute the finance minister.

Nzuza‚ however‚ said: “We are saying people must be principled‚ support must not be based on who is the person that must be supported‚ it should be a principled decision that all leaders of government who go to court‚ we must support all of them‚ not this thing of being selective.”

He also said the party’s Integrity Commission “seems to be having double standards” and questioned “what kind of cases does it zoom in and what kind of cases does it not zoom in”.

Nzuza said that‚ during the ANC’s 2015 National General Council‚ it was made clear that the rules of natural justice provide that a person is innocent until proven guilty. Therefore‚ the Integrity Commission should not be handling cases of people who have not been found guilty‚ he argued.

- TMG Digital

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